More than once we've wondered what was going on at the Finger Building in Williamsburg. Now we know. The Finger is going to court. Details were buried in a long article about construction violations and worker deaths in the Daily News. It turns out that developers Mendel Brach, Moshe Oknin
and architect Rober Scarano are going to court over roof decks they built over adjacent properties so they could meet an 'open space' requirement and build higher than 10 stories. The owner of the property has sued:
The Buildings Department has ordered the developers to stop construction of the violation-riddled building at the 10th floor. But Brach hasn't given up. He has filed for summary judgment that would allow him to build to 16 stories. The case will be argued in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Nov. 13.So, now we know why the crane left a couple of weeks ago and why no work has been done since and why there are steel beams atop The Finger that would indicate a taller building is in play.
· Construction Zone Nightmare [NYDN]
· Curbed Wire: Fingering, Celebrity Brokers and Hotels [Curbed]
· Finger Building: Now Flipping 33 Percent More Bird [Curbed]